Location of Aurora: Caught in the upper
limbs of the second
white oak on the right

Phileas, Rebecca, and Passepartout have not been able to contact
their friend Jules for some time. They are on their way to look for Jules
in Paris when
the Aurora gets
entangled in a large tree in the middle of the deeply forested area of Paris.
While Passepartout remains aboard the airship, Phileas and Rebecca slowly climb
down through the tree. They aren't sure which path to
follow, when all of a sudden Phileas gets fuzzy. Rebecca is aware that her
cousin gets fuzzy from spiritual indulgence, but is hoping that it is more
of the psychic kind rather than the alcoholic kind. When he comes out of his
fuzzy
state, Phileas says that a woodland spirit has directed them to follow the
path marked by a sign labeled "Sherwood". At first, Rebecca is certain that
it was the wrong kind of fuzzies for Phileas, but when they find the sign, she
revises her opinion and decides to follow without complaint. As they walk
along, Phileas reveals that they must find a group of several men who are
camped nearby and that these men will aid them in their quest. All but one of
the men are found in the nearby meadow. The final man has been spotted
behind some cameras, playing loudly with several sharp swords. Pulling the
reluctant fight coordinator into the scene, Phileas begins his plea for their
help with surprising success. Shortly thereafter, the group finds a very strange
Jules behind a woodpile. Jules seems to have lost several years of age, several
synapses of intelligence, and now speaks with a strange accent.

It is about this time that Phileas and Rebecca take stock of
themselves as well. Much to their surprise, they find that they too have
changed. Phileas'
hair has grown to shoulder length and lost its silvery highlights, while Rebecca's
controlled
locks are now in a flowing permed-style, more like the style favored by the
producers for Jules himself. Phileas is now in a shirt opened to the waist,
which Rebecca eyes interestedly. She knows that there is strong evidence that
several heroic
figures of past times succumbed to chest colds from wearing such
attire, although in the legends built around them, this was changed to being shot at close
range by a number of cross bows. She opens her mouth to remind Phileas
of this, then pauses and changes her mind. It is unclear whether her motive
is
potentially to cause Phileas to become ill or merely to preserve an interesting
view.

Although they have found their friend, they still must find
the cause behind their altered states. So once again, Phileas suggests getting
fuzzy. This time,
Rebecca demands to be included in the out-of-focus altered-hue state, and so she and Phileas get fuzzy and ruddy together. The message
that they eventually hear tells them to look at Jules as he sits near
the stone wall. They do, but recoil with horror when they discover their friend
is now an
ancient man with a clairvoyant rat named Arthur. It is revealed to them that
this was caused by one too many joy rides in the Phoenix. Their mystical guide
tells them there is only one thing to be done and that is to return to the
Aurora as quickly as possible, take off, and not land until the next new episode
of the series airs. And so they do just that, carrying Jules between them as
they make their way back to the
second white oak on the right and the friendly confines of the Aurora.
Passepartout, who while they were gone invented the basic principles of quantum
mechanics, either notices nothing changed about them or else is too polite to
enquire. The foursome takes off from their precarious perch, and as the ship
rises, Phileas, Rebecca, and Jules revert once more to their appropriate
appearance. They are rather subdued over tea, and several times Rebecca seems
about to speak after long looks at Phileas' waistcoat, but each time stops.
Passepartout marvels at their adventure and wishes he could have been with them.
They convince the valet that it was a wise move to have stayed on the
Aurora, since undoubtedly he would have ended up as some ill-fated French-speaking
Knight Templar or other figure generally used for target practice by the
descendents of surly Saxons. And so they float away in the Aurora, counting
the
days until their show once more resumes its new episodes. Below them in the
forest sits the tiny figure of Arthur, the clairvoyant rat, who knows that
they will be return.

Note:
All pictures on these pages not
specifically from "The Secret Adventures of Jules Verene" are owned
and copywritten by HTV, Goldcrest Television, and the others who own "Robin
of Sherwood". And thanks to davodd for the title.